DOES GOD EXIST? TODAY

September 23, 2026September 22, 2026

Sockeye Salmon Make an Incredible Journey

This salmon species is known for its bright red skin during the spawning season. Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) are native to the northern Pacific Ocean and the rivers that flow into it.

In the ocean, sockeye salmon don’t look like they do in spawning mode. Instead, they are a pale turquoise to deep blue, with silvery hues on the belly. They don’t begin to change color until the migration season. The change begins when they swim into the freshwater rivers and streams where they hatched. Eventually, the salmon’s body becomes bright red, with a green head.

The life cycle of sockeye salmon is hard to explain by natural selection. Juvenile sockeye are hatched in freshwater, where they remain for up to three years. Eventually, the fish decides it’s time to journey to the sea, where it will grow larger. It will follow the river downstream up to 1,000 miles (1,600 km) to reach the ocean. We don’t know how the fish know when the time is right or why they feel the urge to relocate, but they are programmed to carry out this incredible journey.

The sockeye stays in the ocean for one to four years, growing rapidly and feeding mainly on zooplankton. After some time, something triggers the fish’s brain, telling it to leave the ocean and swim upstream to the place of its origin. As the journey begins, the fish will stop eating. If it completes the journey, it spawns and dies there. Many do not make it because, along the way, they become food for predators such as bears, or even humans. Although sockeye salmon are among the smaller of the seven Pacific salmon species, humans prize their meat.

Sockeye salmon are endangered in some areas, while plentiful in others. In the regions where these salmon are abundant, they significantly influence their ecosystem. Salmon runs bring vast amounts of marine nutrients from the ocean to rivers, sustaining a healthy ecosystem. As evidence of how God has given living creatures the ability to adapt, some salmon do not migrate. Instead, they spend their entire lives in freshwater lakes, where they are known as kokanee salmon.

If evolution is directed by survival of the fittest, why would sockeye salmon make the journey to the ocean and back to their place of origin? Their return journey benefits the ecosystem and their predators, but not the salmon themselves. They die whether they serve as food for bears or complete the journey. Who programmed into these fish the ability to find the place where they hatched? These beautiful fish play a critical role in their habitat and demonstrate a designed system that requires a Designer.

Click HERE for information on Atlantic salmon.

September 22, 2026September 21, 2026

Optical Illusions and the Equinox

As this post goes out, it’s the fall equinox in the Northern Hemisphere (spring in the Southern Hemisphere), arriving at 8:05 pm EDT on September 22 (1205 GMT on September 23). “Equinox” comes from Latin and means “equal night.” However, even today, daylight and darkness are not equal in length. Even more surprising, sunset and sunrise are optical illusions.

Sunrise is the moment the first speck of the Sun becomes visible above the horizon—not the whole Sun or even half of it. Likewise, sunset is when the last speck of the Sun disappears below the horizon, not just part of it. However, when we see the Sun rising, it is still below the horizon, and when we see it set, it is already below the horizon. This discrepancy happens because, when the Sun is near the horizon, Earth’s atmosphere bends the light, creating an optical illusion. As the Sun appears closer to the horizon, refraction increases, making the bottom of the sphere look slightly flattened. The good thing is that sunlight refraction in our atmosphere gives us a little more light at both sunset and sunrise.

Even after the Sun disappears below the horizon, the atmosphere gives us what we call “bright” twilight, so we can enjoy a little more time outdoors until the top edge of the Sun is six degrees below the horizon. Even then, we experience “astronomical” twilight until the Sun’s rim is 18 degrees below the horizon. At that time, the sky in dark-sky areas becomes completely dark. Unfortunately, for those of us who like to observe the night sky, artificial light has given us light pollution in all but a few rural areas.

The bottom line is that when the equinox occurs, we still have more light than total darkness. And we can’t forget that “God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night” (Genesis 1:16). We refer to the Sun rising and setting, even though we know the Sun remains still and Earth rotates. The Bible repeatedly uses the same language as we are earthly observers. In fact, the creation story in Genesis is written from the perspective of an observer on Earth, because that made it easy for even ancient people to understand.

Psalms 19 begins with, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Poetically, the psalmist David wrote that the Sun is “like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber” and “a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other…” We still speak of the Sun rising, moving across the sky, and setting, even though we could say that is an optical illusion. As the equinox is upon us, we can thank God that we have predictable days and seasons on this planet in a finely tuned system, not an optical illusion.

Reference: space.com HERE and HERE

September 21, 2026September 20, 2026

Sea Turtle Migrations

Leatherback sea turtles are the world’s largest reptiles, weighing up to 1,500 pounds. They are one of only seven sea turtle species alive today, and all seven are endangered. More species existed in the past, but humans are their greatest enemy. Humans threaten them through habitat destruction, poaching for meat and eggs, accidental capture in fishing gear, and plastic pollution. Why do sea turtles migrate, and why do we need sea turtle migrations?

Most people know that sea turtles migrate thousands of miles but don’t understand why. According to Darwinian evolutionary theory, natural selection preserves the creatures that survive best. It’s survival of the fittest without regard for other species. However, migrating thousands of miles does not benefit sea turtles as much as it does other creatures and plants in the ocean environment. That indicates a designed system. Why would sea turtles expend the energy to travel thousands of miles when they could survive in a limited area?

Sea turtle migrations help keep ocean environments healthy. Their migrations move nutrients and sustain food webs across vast areas. As they consume resources and recycle nutrients, sea turtles benefit many species of fish, plus crabs, shrimp, and mollusks. Their grazing on seagrass prevents it from becoming overgrown, benefiting the invertebrates that thrive in healthy seagrass. That, in turn, benefits the fish that feed on the invertebrates, which, in turn, benefits herons, egrets, terns, and gulls that feed on the fish.

Coastal vegetation and dune ecosystems benefit from the nutrients sea turtle migrations leave on widely scattered beaches. Migration between regions transfers nutrients over long distances, supporting plankton and small fish that whales depend on. Sea turtle migrations show a designed system, not evolutionary chance. Furthermore, fossil evidence suggests that sea turtles did not evolve from other creatures. Sea turtles have always been sea turtles, and we can thank the Creator for giving us these keystone creatures that deserve our protection.

References: scienceandculture.com and iere.org

September 16, 2026September 16, 2026

The Biblical Flood Story

We received a question about kangaroos on Noah’s ark. I want to share my response here because others probably have similar questions about the biblical flood story.

I think there were no kangaroos on the ark. Let me explain. The biblical evidence indicates that the flood was universal, covering the populated Earth, but not global, covering the entire globe. “The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time” (Genesis 6:5). For that reason, God decided to send a flood to destroy the evil people, but He spared Noah and his family.

God would have had no reason to flood Australia, the North and South Poles, or the top of Mount Everest, because no people lived there. You can read the biblical flood story in Genesis chapters 6-8. After the flood, Genesis 9 tells us that God made a covenant with Noah and promised, “never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth” (verse 11). Noah’s obligation in this covenant is summarized in Genesis 9:7: “As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it.”

Noah’s descendants failed to carry out their obligation in the covenant. Genesis 11 shows that they went only to the plain of Babylon (Shinar) and devised a plan to glorify themselves instead of obeying God’s instructions. “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth” (Genesis 11:4).

Because of their defiance, God was forced to find a solution while keeping His promise to never again destroy the human population with a flood. Instead, God confounded them with different languages, ending their plans and causing them to follow His instructions by scattering them “over the face of the whole earth” (Genesis 11:9).

When you examine the biblical flood story, you can see that God had no reason to flood the entire globe, since humans were limited to a relatively small geographical area. Then why does God say in Genesis 6:17, “I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish.” He does not mean every creature literally, because He commanded Noah, “You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you” (Genesis 6:19). He also did not refer to every fish and sea creature. He told Noah to take seven (or seven pairs) of every kind of clean animal (Genesis 7:2) so they could be used as sacrifices to God after the flood, as we see in Genesis 8:20.

There would not have been enough water on Earth to cover the entire globe above the height of Mount Everest. There was no need to flood areas where n o humans lived or to kill all the animals on the planet. Then why do cultures around the world have flood legends? Every person on Earth is descended from the family that survived the flood, so the story has been passed down in every culture, with modifications. The biblical flood story is the accurate account of the event that changed the entire world. In His mercy, after the flood, God gave humanity another chance while keeping His promise. He scattered the people around the globe by confounding their languages, preventing a corrupt one-world government.

Even today, God in His mercy offers each person on Earth a second chance through the sacrifice of God’s only Son. (See John 3:16-17.) Be wise and don’t pass up the grace God offers.

September 15, 2026September 14, 2026

Heart Cancer Is Rare

Heart cancer is rare. Skin cancer is the most common form, occurring in about one in five people during their lifetimes. Liver cancer affects about one in 100. However, heart cancer develops in only about one in 50,000 people. When it does occur, it usually does not begin in the heart but metastasizes from another area of the body.

The fact that heart cancer is rare is connected with the slow regeneration of heart cells. The body maintains itself by regenerating cells. When cells are damaged, the body replaces them automatically with new cells. When new cells are formed, mutations are possible, and sometimes mutations can cause the regeneration process to go beyond what’s necessary. When new cells continue to grow exponentially, they form masses, which we call malignancies.

The uncontrolled growth of these new cells takes over and robs the body of energy needed for other functions. The faster cells regenerate, the greater the chance of mutations, which increases the possibility of uncontrolled cell growth. When a person smokes or uses tobacco, it affects the lungs, throat, and mouth, causing damage to those tissues and prompting those cells to be regenerated. This increased regeneration raises the chance of mutations and cancer in those areas.

Heart cancer is rare, in part because heart cells regenerate very slowly. Less than half of the heart cells you had when you were born will be replaced during your lifetime. However, your skin cells regenerate completely in less than two months. The slow regeneration of heart cells is apparently a major reason why heart cancer is rare. In some animals, such as amphibians, heart cells regenerate much more quickly. In mammals and humans, regeneration is much slower. Instead of making new cells, the heart develops scar tissue. The trade-off is that the heart is durable and functional from birth to natural death in humans.

Skin cells regenerate quickly, which is good because skin is exposed and easily damaged. At the same time, it means there’s a greater danger of skin cancer. Other parts of your body that are mistreated in various ways, such as your lungs from smoking or your liver from alcohol, must regenerate damaged cells, resulting in an increased risk of cancer. God’s design of our bodies is truly amazing. Many of the health problems we face stem from our misuse of the gift God has given us. Being good stewards of God’s gifts benefits us in many ways, including a longer and healthier life.

Reference: popsci.com

September 14, 2026September 13, 2026

Jesus Was Not Forecasting the Weather

In Matthew 16:2, Jesus quoted a weather slogan that shepherds and sailors used. You have probably heard it as “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight; red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.” In the culture Jesus addressed, you might substitute “shepherds” for “sailors.” Although this proverb contains some truth, Jesus was not forecasting the weather.

Science explains that ancient slogan. A red sky appears when dust and small particles are trapped in a high-pressure area and scatter blue light, making red predominant. As the Sun sets in the west and, in the mid-latitudes, the prevailing winds are from the west, that indicates a high-pressure zone is on the way, bringing fair weather. A red sky as the Sun rises in the east indicates that the high pressure has moved on and a wet or windy low-pressure system may be approaching. But, as I said, Jesus was not forecasting the weather.

Jesus had just fed over 4,000 people by the Sea of Galilee with seven loaves of bread and a few small fish (see Matthew 15:29-38). Then He got into a boat and went across to Magadan on the other side of the lake. There, His adversaries, the Pharisees and Sadducees, tested Him by asking for a sign to prove that He was really from God. Jesus responded by quoting that weather proverb. Then He called them a “wicked and adulterous generation.” He told them that He would give them no sign except for “the sign of Jonah.” What is the sign of Jonah?

The point Jesus was making was that there would be a very special sign, a miracle, to show that He was from God. Jesus had performed many miracles, including the recent feeding of more than 4,000 people with a tiny amount of food. No sign was going to convince the Pharisees of His divine nature. The special sign to come would be the only miracle Jesus ever predicted in advance. Jesus was not forecasting the weather or trying to impress the Pharisees. Without further explanation, Jesus left the questioners and walked away.

But what is the sign of Jonah? Go back a few chapters to Matthew 12:38-40. Jesus had just restored a man who was blind and mute, but the Pharisees accused Him of doing this by the power of the devil. Unsatisfied with the miracle Jesus had just performed, they challenged Him, “Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you.” Jesus replied that He would give them no sign “except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Then He explained what that sign is. “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

Jesus was predicting His resurrection from the grave. This was much more important than the daily weather. In both instances described in Matthew 12 and 16, Jesus had just performed a miracle when the Pharisees asked for a sign from heaven. Jesus knew they wouldn’t pay attention to any miracle He could show them. Only one miracle would impact Jesus’ disciples, making them fearless messengers who risked their lives to take the message of the resurrection to the world. There would be nothing the Pharisees and Sadducees could do to stop it. Neither can today’s enemies of Jesus Christ stop the message of the resurrection. Jesus was not forecasting the weather, but predicting something that would change the world.

Reference: metoffice.gov.uk

September 11, 2026September 10, 2026

Insects Are God’s Tools

One of my neighbors is a mechanical genius – he can fix anything. The secret to his success is that he has a tool for every situation. It is one thing to have a tool, and another to know how to find it. When he needs a screw with a special design, width, and length, he can go to a drawer full of screws and a tool rack full of screwdrivers and have exactly what he needs to do the job. Insects are God’s tools.

Recent studies have shown that scientists have vastly undercounted insect species. Entomologist Laura Melissa Guzman of Cornell University, writing in Science News, says that previous insect species counts of six million are way too low and that the actual count is at least 14 million species and may be as high as 20 million.

The question is why so many species exist, and the reason is that insects are God’s tools to sustain life on planet Earth. Insects serve in many ways. For example, flowers must be pollinated to produce seeds that will grow into new flowers. To pollinate flowers of various sizes and shapes, insects of various sizes and shapes are God’s tools for that purpose. While some insects have particular jobs, others help control insect populations. Scientists have identified over 2,400 species of parasitoid wasps that do this.

Like my neighbor, who has the right tool for every situation, insects are God’s tools for every situation. Guzman writes, “It’s humbling how much we don’t know and how much we have left to know.” Everywhere we look in the world, we see a wonder-working hand has gone before. Insects are another of the things God has created to enable life to exist on our planet.

Reference: Science News, September 2026, page 26

September 10, 2026September 9, 2026

What Are They If Not Insects?

Take this quiz to test your knowledge of living things. What are usually less than 6 mm long, have six legs like an insect, but are not insects? They come in various colors and shapes and live everywhere on Earth, including Antarctica. These tiny creatures can survive on the tallest mountains, in caves, underg r ound, in deserts, grasslands, and forests. The class Collembola includes more than 9,000 species. They can “fly” without wings and provide beneficial services for agriculture. What are they? They are springtails.

They are called “springtails” because they can “spring” into the air so fast that their motion can only be captured at 10,000 frames per second. That helps them quickly escape predators or change locations. Springtails accomplish this Olympic-style feat with a spring-loaded appendage called a furcula on their underside. You could think of it as a lever that stores elastic energy the springtail can release when needed. They keep the furcula tucked under their bodies when not in use, but at any moment they can release it and propel themselves forward and upward.

Springtails thrive in moist locations such as soil, leaves, and rotting wood. They shed their outer shells in warm temperatures, reducing their body size by 30% and giving them a survival advantage. Some springtail species are considered pests; however, most springtails benefit agriculture. Mycorrhizal fungi have a beneficial symbiotic relationship with plant roots. Springtails collect mycorrhizal fungi spores and spread them to other locations, benefiting more plants.

Not only do springtails transport beneficial fungi, but they also eat the spores of pathogenic fungi and the damaging vegetative parts of fungi called mycelia. Through these functions, springtails play a crucial role in controlling plant and fungal diseases. Plant scientists have realized that springtails can be integrated into greenhouses to limit fungal growth. These seemingly insignificant creatures benefit humans.

The next time you see tiny creatures in leaf matter or rotting logs launch themselves into the air, instead of wondering “what are they,” you will know that they are springtails. You will also know they are some of the planet’s most beneficial creatures, playing a role in the marvelous web of life. It is evident that a wise Designer created the system.

Reference: scienceandcultu r e.com

September 9, 2026September 8, 2026

How the World Ought to Be

In his book Unanswered, Jeremiah Johnston wrote that the number-one reason people walk away from faith in God is experiencing an unexpected personal tragedy. He described interviewing atheists who had once been believers. They told him that the reason they doubt the existence of God is “the world is not as it ought to be.” That raises the question of how the world ought to be and how we can know.

As Johnston wrote, stating that the world is not as it ought to be “infers a standard of objective worldwide virtue and goodness.” Where does that standard come from? From an atheist viewpoint, where could it come from? If the world is a cosmic accident that just happened and we are an evolving collection of molecules we call life, what is the criterion for deciding how the world ought to be? Who gives us the right to make that judgment?

Why should we expect anything good in this world? How can we define good, and how can we know the difference between good and evil? Skeptics can’t accept the idea of a God who cares when there is so much evil in the world. The question is: how can there be evil unless there is good, and how can there be good without God? What is the atheist using to define evil—or good?

Going beyond the existence of good and evil, why is there love? What is the source of love? Nobody can truthfully say that there is no such thing as love. The Bible tells us that God IS Love. (See 1John 4:8 and 16.) Love comes from God, in whose image we are made. God is also good, and without goodness, how can we define evil?

Yes, the world is not what it ought to be, but we cannot deny God’s existence because of that fact. Evil is obvious because good exists. Good and love exist because God exists. When someone asks why God allows evil, remember that evil exists because humans allow it. It is humans who have brought evil into the world, and it is up to the followers of Jesus to combat that evil with love.

We must begin by accepting God’s love, demonstrated by the sacrifice of His Son. When we become followers of Jesus Christ, we can share God’s love with others. Love and goodness, which come from God, can overcome the problem of evil. Those who deny the existence of God have no basis to know how the world ought to be.

September 8, 2026September 7, 2026

Space Travel Takes Time

With so much talk about space travel, it’s easy to forget how vast the solar system and the universe are. In movies, spacecraft travel faster than light, which is impossible, and reach their destinations in minutes. In real life, space travel takes time.

It’s possible to reach the Moon in a few days; however, a future trip to Mars will take up to nine months. A round trip will take more than 3 years because the alignment of Earth and Mars creates a launch window about once every 26 months. Add nine months, nine months, and 26 months, and you get 44 months. How about traveling to Mercury? Two unmanned spacecraft are on the way and are expected to arrive in a few months.

Mercury is the least explored of our inner planets, but a joint project between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) was launched in 2018. In April of next year, the two probes are scheduled to arrive near Mercury to gather observations. So, after eight years in space, the BepiColombo project will again demonstrate that space travel takes time.

On September 1, 2026, a nonprofit organization called the Fermi Explorer Mission (FEM) announced plans to send a probe toward Alpha Centauri by 2029. Alpha Centauri and Proxima Centauri are the closest stars to our Sun. But “close” is hardly the right word, since they’re actually 4.4 light-years away. Because spacecraft cannot reach light speed, this probe is expected to arrive in 80,000 years. If it launches in 2029, arrives 80,000 years later, gathers information, and sends a strong enough signal to be received on Earth, the signal will take 4.4 years to arrive.

If FEM’s plan works, will anyone be alive to receive the information it gathers? Space travel takes time, and human life spans are short. The Fermi Explorer Mission team is a nonprofit organization, and they’re asking for financial donations to get the mission off the ground. This is definitely a long-term investment.

Knowing that space travel takes time, I think God has given us a beautiful planet where we have been richly blessed. He has also given us a curiosity to want to know what’s out there. What is out there is a massive, incomprehensible universe that we will never fully explore or understand. We can also never fully understand God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—which we can clearly see in the things He has made (Romans 1:20).

Reference: Space.com